A former Britain's Got Talent star has taken an interesting new career path and opened a hotel in Blackpool named after herself.
Organist Jean Martyn appeared on the hit TV show in 2011 making it through to the final where she missed out on the winning spot to Jai McDowall.
Following the show Jean entertained audiences across the UK and Europe performing at a range of events including Royal events at St James's Place and The Houses of Parliament for an MP's wedding.
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Following the pandemic and the loss of her husband Bob, the 71-year-old didn't have the desire to continue to perform.
But instead of "wallowing in it" Jean picked herself up and following a chance encounter in The Netherlands took a different career path that now sees her own a hotel in Blackpool in her name.
Jean met her partner, Hans, when playing the organ in The Netherlands and after always wanting to live by the sea took the decision to move to Blackpool.
Jean spoke with LancsLive about her experiences from touring the country to now running the five star TripAdvisor hotel minutes from the beach.
The organist first dazzled national audiences in her sparkly, sequinned jackets with her feel-good performances on the organ.
But on the Britain's Got Talent tour - which consisted of 14 shows in just 12 days - her mum passed away.
Jean returned to the tour after a conversation with her dad who told her her mum would have wanted her on the stage in front of the Wembley crowd.
Jean said: "I'd gone home to see her on one of our days off, and I think she was already moving on to Heaven.
"I didn't know what to do.
"I kissed her goodbye and went back, the night we played Wembley, she had sadly passed away.
"Simon told me to tell the audience what had happened, so I told them she had passed away, and it just fell silent.
"Then suddenly, there was this huge round of applause - and I thought, she'll be laughing about that now."
Over ten years later - and after the loss of her husband - Jean decided to follow her dreams of living by the sea.
Jean had many happy memories associated with playing in Blackpool and decided to search for a house in the resort with her partner Hans.
Jean said: "I was due to view a property in the afternoon and it had sold that morning, then my friend turned to me and said, why don't you run a hotel?"
Jean now runs the former King Edward Hotel - now named the Jean Martyn Hotel - which she refurbished and took over in August last year.
As well as 10 en-suite bedrooms, the hotel boasts a concert hall with Jean's beloved organs where guests can see first hand the talents that took her to the final of Britain's Got Talent.
Guests have called the hotel "a home away from home" - with all ratings on TripAdvisor giving the Jean Martyn Hotel a five star rating.
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